A man has said a senior Royal Naval officer pinned him down and tried to rape him when he was a young teenager, a jury has heard.

The alleged victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claims Charles Howeson befriended him and a group of other schoolboys on a Plymouth Naval estate by letting them ride motorbikes in his field.

In an interview with police shown to the jury, the complainant told officers that Howeson, who denies the claims, was teaching him how to shoot a wooden air rifle gun in the field when the alleged offence took place.

He claims Howeson moved closer to him, pulled down his trousers and tried to rape him, but was unsuccessful.

Howeson is accused of two alternative charges dating back to the 1980s, attempted buggery and indecent assault, which are based on the same evidence and allegedly took place near his home.

In the interview with officers at Charles Cross Police Station, the complainant said "everything was normal" before Howeson allegedly took him to a field by himself to teach him how to shoot an air rifle.

"[Howeson] started laying closer to me," the complainant said in the recorded interview, shown to the jury. "I thought it was a bit odd but I didn’t think anything of it. Then he laid on top of me and put all his weight on me and I couldn’t move.

Charles Howeson stands next to the Duke of Edinburgh who addresses the crowd at the Mount Batten Centre in 1999 (Image: Brian Jones)

“He pulled down my trousers and tried to rape me and I couldn’t even move, he was so heavy.

“The second he took his weight off me I squirmed out and ran away. That’s all I can remember and all I know about it.

"I didn’t say anything, I didn’t even make a noise. It was just a shock; I didn’t expect it in any way.

"Years after I thought about it a lot. I dealt with it with drink, drugs and violence."

The jury heard the alleged victim has more than two dozen previous convictions dating back several years, which Howeson's defence barrister suggests indicates he is lying about this allegation.

Daniel Janner QC said: "I want to suggest to you you are lying about what’s happened for an easy way of getting [compensation].

"You are a career criminal [...] [and] from the age of about 17 you were a thoroughly dishonest person."

Howeson is on trial at Bristol Crown Court (Image: Michael Lloyd)

The complainant replied: "I got into trouble with the police a lot, yes. What happened to me has affected every aspect of my life."

Mr Janner then asked: "Are you going to make a claim for compensation?"

"No," the complainant said. "I have said I do not want to claim compensation.